Both Windows 11 and MacOS Ventura have been out for some time now and, whether you’ve had the chance to try both or just one, you’ll have noticed new additions compared with the previous iterations. But how do they compare?
You’re likely already tied into Windows or MacOS but, if you’re teetering on the edge of switching, the additions to Windows 11 and MacOS Ventura may play a part in swaying you one way or the other.
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Windows 11 was a bigger upgrade to its operating system from Microsoft, with a significant focus on design. Comparatively, MacOS Ventura felt more iterative, with a similar traditional Mac look but with some new features tacked on. Let’s dive into MacOS Ventura vs Windows 11.
A new Mac-flavoured design, or the real thing?
A niche market but those who have switched to Windows from MacOS but longed for a design closer to Apple’s operating system will have been satiated by the big change in Windows 11.
Windows 11 saw a design that, overall, makes the OS better looking and a big part of that is making it more like MacOS. As soon as you turn on Windows 11, you’ll notice the taskbar has now been moved to the middle of the display, while windows have softer corners and a more glass-like look.
Windows used to be the ugly operating system but it’s more of a level playing field now.
Windows has gaming sewn up
There’s no competition on the gaming front. No matter how powerful Apple’s M-series chips have proven themselves to be, MacOS just isn’t equipped to offer gamers the wide variety of choice and gaming performance that Windows can.
We’ve seen recently that Apple is making porting Windows games to MacOS Sonoma easier with the Game Porting Toolkit but, for now, the situation remains as it long has on MacOS Ventura – it’s a no-go for serious gamers.
Whereas, with Windows 11, the world of powerful Intel, AMD and Nvidia components that open up the full libraries of Steam, Ubisoft Connect and more to you are all at your fingertips.
Microsoft offers improved organisation
One of the big features added to MacOS Ventura was a iPadOS-flavoured one – and that was Stage Manager. The new tool is aimed at allowing speedier multi-tasking by displays your open windows on the side of the screen, letting you quickly dodge between them.
On the Windows side of things, it was about enhancing the organisational features it already offers. Anyone who uses Windows will be pretty comfortable with the File Manager but, to make it even better, Microsoft modernised it with a tweak of the web browsing variety. The new File Manager offers tabs, allowing you to swiftly go from one file location to another and back again without having to close the separate locations or need entirely separate windows.
Microsoft also boosted its Snap features, something that is sorely lacking in MacOS. In Windows 11, you now have Snap Layouts and Snap Groups. You could already manually snap windows to different portions of the screen by dragging to your desired section. But, Snap Layouts offers up some default options to select from, making it easy to, for example, place one window in the top left quarter and another in the bottom right corner – without the faff of dragging to the perfect place.
Snap Groups sits in the taskbar, with your Snap Layouts displayed in the taskbar when you hover over a relevant app, allowing you to easily open your grouped windows together.
Apple’s superior ecosystem and optimisation
It isn’t all that hard to connect your devices to a Windows machines, then to an Android tablet then to an iPhone, with Bluetooth doing the legwork. But, it remains not quite as seamless as what Apple devices can do, and we all love convenience.
If you’re deep in the Apple ecosystems, whether you have two Apple devices or, even, 5 or 6, then carrying out tasks like speedily connecting your AirPods back and forth between an iPad and an iPhone become extremely easy. Features like using your iPad as a second monitor alongside your MacBook or boosting your webcam experience by using your iPhone camera are all just part of the wondrously connected setup.
Using Windows offers greater device flexibility
The benefits of a woven ecosystem give with one hand and take with the other. A consequence of Apple’s deep integration of hardware and software is that most cross device features are bound to iOS, MacOS, iPadOS and tvOS. And, those operating systems are exclusive to Mac devices.
With Windows, the world is your oyster. Windows is available across laptops and desktops from a range of manufacturers like Asus, Acer, Lenovo, Razer, HP, Dell and more, meaning you are free to shop around and change regularly without losing key features on your travels.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
